Massachusetts was one of 11 states to receive a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Thursday to use in building the insurance marketplace. All states must have one in 2014 or residents will be able to get coverage through a federal exchange. The Massachusetts Health Connector, which runs the state exchange, received $81 million.

The grant will help pay for a $68 million contract with information technology firm CGI to build a new Connector website that will be linked to state and federal databases. When a customer applies for health insurance coverage through a state subsidized program or for a non-subsidized plan sold in the state’s virtual marketplace, the system will verify the person’s income, legal residency status, and other factors to provide instant feedback about the programs for which he or she is eligible.